Kelly Rae Roberts's Blog, page 90

Weekly Sponsor Spotlights: Be Present Retreats, Stephanie Lee, Word Cellar, Beth Quinn Designs, Unravelling, Amy Komar, 23Postcards + Val's Art Studio

Big thanks to my sponsors...I'm really enjoying these weekly sponsor spotlights where their creative talents and businesses are featured. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor (includes your ad on the sidebar + ongoing spotlights), please send me an email for further information!
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The Be Present Retreats are an invitation to pause in your life and gather in an intimate creative community to explore, create, discover, and soak up the world around you. Each retreat takes place in the Pacific Northwest and includes time spent in creative community paired with exercises and workshops to remind you to open your eyes and heart and be present on your path.
Come along in 2011 and gather for laughter and connection, share your stories, eat delicious food, play with paint and words, and find your way to the quiet where you can hear your soul's truth whispering inside you. Registration for the Pen & Paper and JOY retreats has begun. There are still a few spots left in each retreat. Learn more at www.bepresentretreats.com.
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There is an eternal fault line on which our hearts walk. The ground is constantly shifting and it is our perpetual endeavor to find our footing, to maintain a sort of balance. When there is so much fighting for attention in your mind, when you are aching to capture a true depth of your spirit on the page, journal writing can help clear the path to seeing, to cutting to the chase and get there. There. To truth and to what you really want to say even when you don't always know exactly what that is. A clearing happens in that space between written word, when you have put it down in ink on the page, when you have left the room and gone on to "reality". When you gift yourself with conscious time with you, your thoughts, and the journal page, you have planted a seed in your mind and watered it there with the black ink from your pen. And now you must let time bring forth a sprout. That growth of opening heartspace happens while you are going about your business.
Through playful and introspective exercises, this four week e-course will get the ink flowing freely on the pages of your journal so that you can draw out, word by word, a sort of guide to carry with you while navigating your emotional shifting ground. Lighthearted and excavational, truth-telling and heart opening, the questions you will learn to ask (and find your own answers for) will take root in your heart so that you can dance with the seismic activity that is a life lived consciously. Class begins January 10th. Registration is open NOW!
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More than a beautiful collection of words and images, Lanterns: A Gathering of Stories a gift of light and love, perfect for your friends, your daughters, your mothers, yourself. I'm Jenna McGuiggan of The Word Cellar, and I collaborated with six creative souls (Darlene Kreutzer, Liz Lamoreux, Jen Lee, Rachelle Mee-Chapman, Lisa Ottman, and Jena Strong) to celebrate women in creative community. Order for the holidays by December 13 and save $5. (Plus, a portion of the proceeds benefits the non-profit Girls Write Now.)

"Lanterns offers a kind light to weary travelers wishing for companions on the journey toward a well-crafted soul. This lovely book provides a way into togetherness that will encourage and inspire anyone longing for authentic connection around their creative work." (Jen Lemen, artist, activist, dreamer)

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Jewelry artist Beth Quinn is "a mom of two wonderful little boys, married to my best friend, and an artist who loves to create anything from paper, fabric , wood ,paint and metal." Influenced by her late father's metal working and her grandmother's creativity, her jewelry is "full of her love for the old , worn and shiny ... she loves to combine texture to create jewelry that can be loved and cherished for years to come." Please head over to Beth's website where you can find her shop (wonderful fall jewelry now available!!) and her blog!
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The Unravelling e-course is an 8-week online class designed to help you heal the way you see your self and your world, using photography and journalling to access hidden thoughts & dreams and encourage personal realisations, all in the safe space of a like-minded community. Photographer & writer Susannah Conway is your guide through this process, sharing her insights and wisdom gleaned from a four-year voyage through grief and healing. You don't need any previous photography experience to do this course - all you need is a camera (iPhones are perfect for unravelling!), a journal & pen and an open heart.

Registration for the winter Unravelling: Ways of Seeing My Self course opens a week today on Saturday December 4th (class starts January 3rd). You can check out what past participants have said about their Unravelling journeys over here (there are videos too :) Give yourself permission to take a couple of hours out of your week to devote solely to YOU; this isn't self-indulgence, this is nurturing, nourishing soul time - come join us for some new year unravelling!

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An art professor told me back in the day: "You've got to figure out a way to make your play your work and your work your play." Advice I took to heart after years of being nudged to follow art while working as a waitress, sales rep, gallery attendant, after school art teacher, personal assistant . . .

At the heart of it my life thrives with the right balance of creative energy + living like you're on vacation. I love painting rocks. Walking my dogs. Layering color on canvas. Cooking from scratch. Snapping photographs. Taking tiny adventures. Brainstorming ideas. Connecting with people. Writing a blog. All of it - flat out - feels good. Joseph Campbell is wise - FOLLOW YOUR BLISS.

New Collector's Sale happening now in the shop! Stones featured this month are from Alaska, Baltic Sea and Italy! Come on by!

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My name is Catherine Wooten, and I'm the artist behind 23Postcards' original art and travel photography. I have been creating as long as I can remember, but it wasn't until an eight-month trek around Europe after college that I knew I had to make art a much bigger part of my life. While traveling, I sent 23 postcards home to Tennessee. Those 23 are the inspiration for this company, and the things I saw and experienced while sending them affect each piece I make. Please check out my blog to learn more!

I LOVE everything vintage, especially photographs. I really enjoy incorporating them into my pieces, and I would love to create a piece for you with your own! I hope you find something in the 23Postcards shop that you love. Please use code KELLYRAE25 for 25% off any 23Postcards Etsy order!
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Hi, I'm Val of Val's Art Studio, the crafty gal who's trying to make the world better, ... one needle felted, upcycled, handcrafted item at a time. I am so happy to meet you! Kelly Rae's world has opened up a new avenue for me, and I'm so happy to share it with you. The holidays bring busyness to all our lives, and I'm no exception! If you live in the San Diego area, you can come see my items in person at one of my upcoming holiday trunk shows, just click over to my blog for more details. Please click on over to my website or visit my blog and definitely check out the offerings in my etsy shop. You'll be glad you did! And, as a last word while I have your attention, Please don't stress over the holidays, but look for those small miracles tucked into everyday life. They are there, and will touch you with a special caress if you just open your heart to them. Happiest of holidays to you and your loved ones! xx, Val

seriously?

seriously, people. i can barely stand the cuteness. no i cannot. today was really cold and we couldn't help ourselves but to dress him up in a cozy bear outfit and then laugh, laugh, laugh at the site of him while we snapping a gazillion iphone photos to text message to everyone we know.

i know.

we have become those people. but hey, we're new, and i think we can get away with it for now :)

and yep, he's looking a lot like john. like a mini john. pretty cute.

have a great thanksgiving, everyone! see you on the flip side. we are celebrating turkey day, just the three of us, with big plans to decorate for christmas the day after thanksgiving (so excited).


ps: i LOVE it when you guys send me photos of store displays showing the product. i'm always so interested in how boutiques display the line and i always love it when i see a good display. i think this one is from a store in dekalb, il. thank you, michelle, for sending it over!

for those of you looking for a store near you that sells the Kelly Rae Roberts Collection (my line with demdaco that includes lots and lots of gift items), please click here and enter your zip code to find stores/boutiques near you!

for those of you hoping to purchase gifts directly from my online shop, here's a quick update on what's going on:

datebooks: sold out
2011 calendars (arrive signed by me): a few left!

decorative art girlies: just a couple left

laptop skins: we ordered more and these are going fast but we've got plenty
iphone skins: just one style left but more coming (5 more designs) next week
ipad skins: sold out

necklaces: sold out
art plaques: a couple are left
affirmation ribbon: sold out
bookmarks: sold out
magnets: sold out
journals + notebooks: sold out

wall canvases: small selection is left
matted prints (matted and signed by me): always available

books (arrives signed by me): always available!

lk ludwig's nurturing ways..

(we are all smiles and sweetness over here - almost 7 weeks old)

she likely doesn't know this, but i met lk ludwig during what would be a couple of the most pivotal few days of my life. i had taken the leap and traveled alone to an art retreat for the first time ever. i was just beginning to explore my creative wings and although i was intensely scared, i had an inner calling that something special and life changing was in store for me...and it was. it was during those few days that i unearthed my creative self and the rest is history. i took three classes during that art retreat, one of them taught by LK. i remember being so drawn to her and how she nurtured us through our project. she would stop and read poetry every now again through the day of teaching - i thought that was so cool. her spirit was calm, tender, wise.

fast forward four years and i'm finding myself in another pivotal time in my life, another significant journey where everything is new and being redefined. LK so graciously sent me the following letter and i responded to every single word. i asked if i could share her words, knowing that they would reach out to the wires and greet all of you with their honesty. i felt instantly better after receiving her letter. thank you, lk, for quietly nurturing me during two very important beginnings of my life: creative life, and new mama life.

ps: the photos are of Sunny, LK's youngest :)

Dear Kelly Rae,
I never realized that there was a not-so-secret sisterhood, a sorority of sorts where the initiation rite is one where you turn your life and your heart inside out and become a mom. I was one of those women who didn't really want kids. "I'll be a very good aunt," I would say at 30, 32, 34, and then things began to change. I married at 35, and during our first Christmas as a family, Joe said, "We need babies! We can't have Christmas without babies!" And, so we began. I had Gryphon at 36. I was so worried, anxious about how this would change my artist's life, I had just come into my own voice, how would I have any time to do anything, how would I do it all, what would I lose, how would I stay me?

I did stay me, of course, but I am a different me, a stronger me, a kinder, more compassionate me. Suddenly, everyone was someone's child- everyone had a mom, just like Gryphon had a mom, and I had more understanding of how things might be behind the scenes for people. My strength grew as my experience with parenting grew. I could do this- I would keep him safe, I would see him through illness and teething and whatever came our way. My heart grew. I learned to love in a way for which there is no duplicate; no other kind of love is like the love you have for that baby, built cell by cell inside your own body. You knew him before he was born, and he you.
You are doing great! Even if you are covered in milk, and spit up and maybe even poop, you are still doing great. You are absolute magic. Everything True sees and hears is new, and fresh. One of my favorite songs we sang to Gryphon when he was wee, was called "My Little Potato" by Metamora... this song has a line that says, "The world is new, so new, it's new to you " And one of True's gifts to you, is that you get to share in that newness and bask in the wonder that will radiate as he discovers the world. Being a mom is the coolest job in the universe!

Gradually, life assumes some sort of pattern, and you begin to find your rhythm more quickly after each change your child goes through that requires you to step up your game- when they are learning to walk, toddlerhood... and if you find yourself having another baby, perhaps you will worry like I did, "How will I ever love another child as much as I do this one?" Somehow, astonishingly, we are built to be utterly infinite in that capacity. You do love as much, you expand. My third child turned four years old three hours ago. I can't believe we are out of babyhood. I wish could have another!

mama k, best nickname ever

my new nickname these days is Mama K and it's the best nickname ever.


We all have layers of tenderness, dreams waiting to be born, and we all have courage waiting inside the pockets of our brokenness. When we acknowledge and embrace all of these vulnerabilities, we pave the way for an expansion of spirit, for an opportunity of growth, for rebirth, for really seeing ourselves. And most importantly, for creating the experiences we most need. - i wrote this earlier this year.

That's where I'm at these days: unearthing extreme tenderness, birthing new parts of myself, digging deeper than ever before for the bravery that lives inside. I sense that these new vulnerabilities, however scary and intense, are expanding my capacity to love in ways that leave me stunned. I'm deeply aware of this and sometimes I'm not even sure what to do with myself or how to contain the widened spaces of my growing heart. In between starting at him and being joyful, I'm anxious that anything would ever harm him. My protectiveness feels untamed and fierce for our new family - a new feeling for me and it's strong, strong, strong. More than anything else, I'm surprised how this experience is unrelenting in all things: sleep deprivation, physically, soul work, heart exploding, tears, pure happiness, terror/fear. I can barely wrap my brain around all the parts and pockets and intricacies. It feels deeply deeply layered and so much bigger than me or john or even true. There is a spiritual component that is blowing me away - the way the three of us are connected in our histories - and in our souls - and how our stories and journeys as individuals were always really connected in a togetherness that began before we even existed inside this concrete little family of three. It's hard to explain but it's good. So good. I feel supported and affirmed inside this spiritual piece. It's sort of rocking my world.

Here's a quick little video of my family...

Weekly Sponsor Spotlights

Big thanks to my sponsors...I'm really enjoying these weekly sponsor spotlights where their creative talents and businesses are featured. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor (includes your ad on the sidebar + ongoing spotlights), please send me an email for further information!
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Rita Maria Gallerycreating art is my way of communicating my deepest thoughts and feelings. it can be a little intimidating to put some of my paintings "out there". it almost feels like i'm exposing my journal for everyone to read. why create something if it isn't going to be personal to you? not being able to paint would be the same as taking away my ability to communicate. with many of my paintings you might notice that i usually title the piece after a quote or i'll include the quote in the painting. its usually something that i've connected to in some way. maybe it's in the form of a song or a poem. i will jot it down on whatever is in front of me. sometimes i'll carry a quote around for years until i can illustrate it in a way that just feels right. i'm really not a good writer or speaker, but i know when it is important to me, i can say it best with a brush and some paint. just like my own spirit, my work may appear very whimsical and colorful on the outside. however, if you look deeper you would see that it is very honest, meaningful and bittersweet. i leave you with not just my work, but my inspirations, my secrets, my journal; hoping that it will inspire you to express yourself as well. i invite you into my world at www.ritamariagallery.com.
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During these last few weeks of autumn, Erica Cooper has been crazy busy working in her studio office designing client spaces, creating lovely things to celebrate her client's style, and writing about celebrating the ordinary in our lives. Erica's passion is "all things home", evident in her blog Celebrate Life Everyday. By celebrating the moments that are big and small; living life using the creativity within us; and embracing the place called home, that centers & restores us; we pass on all that matters. It's telling our story and writing the pages each day with meaning and joy.
So, grab a cup of tea and join Erica over at her Blog: where the journey always heads home. While visiting, sign-up to receive blog updates and pass along the link to another kindred spirit who also loves to celebrate the daily. Please stop by to share your story!
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Oregon artist, Lindy Gruger Hanson, can look out on tall pine and aspen from her home studio. She uses her sense of the natural world to depict an inner, symbolic journey in her paintings. Stylized images of rivers, trees, birds and symbolic shapes seem to glow with a warm halo of energy. She says, "My aim is to create paintings with the belief that art can inspire people, make a house a home, and bring joy and positive energy into the world!" She hopes that her playful, vividly colored paintings can lift the spirit of others. Lindy has recently created 2 kinds of inspirational mini card decks listed in her Etsy Shop. One for the Creative Spirit and one for Wellness and Weight Loss. Each tiny deck includes 26 cards beautifully printed with a smooth matte surface and features Lindy's art paired with a positive affirmation. Put one in your purse or lunch bag to remind yourself to think positive during the day! Lindy likes to put them on the window sill in her art studio. There's magic hidden in small bundles so check them out! She also has wonderful prints and greeting cards that can be found in her Etsy Shop. Original paintings can be seen on Lindy's website.
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Fun and funky is what we do! We invite you to come and explore Allen Designs's new website CLOSE2MYART.com . We are a small studio based right outside of Portland, OR, where 5 gals and a guy work together to bring you these whimsical devices of time, funky art and other unique and affordable gift products! Wanting to give an original gift that you can't find in your "big box" stores? Then check us out! All Kelly Rae Readers receive a 10% discount with any purchase, along with a free gift! (Discount Code: KRAE10)

Also, for added incentive, profits of the website go to the Close2myArt Cycling Team, a non-profit training program that Michelle and her husband Gary started, teaching kids the basics of bike handling and racing in a fun and healthy environment. For more information about our ANNUAL STUDIO SALE check out our blog here!

*******************************************************************************************My name is Kate Johnson. Heartwork is a site about joy and exploration, curiosity and creativity. So much of life is about doing. I wanted to create a space where I could explore the act of being, to truly revel in self discovery and rediscovery, and to share some insights, questions and curiosities along the way.
I've been offering some e-workshops centered around the wildly unstructured act of journaling, but will be taking a short new-baby-hiatus from those intensive workshops in October and November-- but I invite you to join me in November anyway- I hope to post a journaling prompt-a-day to support folks delving into NANOWRIMO, or folks who just want to try journaling each day to see how that feels. I'll be starting up the online workshops as soon as I feel I can. I hope you'll join me!
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Would you like to enrich your life? Express who you really are in your daily activities? Do you feel out of balance? Would you like to experience more joy, more energy and live more healthfully? True Essence Coaching provides life coaching, wellness counseling, postpartum doula services and other complimentary therapies to women and mothers. She helps women carve out time for themselves, remember how to nurture themselves in busy times, and schedule in some fun and creativity in the process. Eithne Egan is a single mom who has a special place in her heart (and her practice) for other single parents, and for anyone raising a child with special needs. Discounts and sliding scales available, plus combination sessions for flexibility. Connect onFacebook or Twitter too and sign up for my newsletter here.
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Lebenskuenstler ("the art of life") is a blog and shop created by Nicole Lawrence. We now stock beautiful Nativity Scenes, lovingly made by Nicole from plant-dyed wool. Every nativity set is unique, the wool is wrapped around itself and only the details are needle felted onto the figures. This gives them their amazingly soft look.
Mention this ad when you purchase your nativity scene and receive a free angel. Also in stock are beautiful wrap-around felted silk scarves, inspired by the colours of outback Australia; felted mobile phone/ipod pouches; Waldorf inspired toys and more... you're sure to find something special!*******************************************************************************************
Welcome to Jill's Dream where I create colorful and whimsical paintings and collages. My works are filled with passion and hope where I aim to put a smile on your face. Inspirational quotes as well as nature are strong influences in my artwork. I enjoy creating vibrant pieces that allow my passion to shine through. Much of my work is also inspired by my daughter Isabella and many of my pieces have been sold to other women as gifts for the girls in their lives. Jill's Dream can also do custom work and personalize it for you, your family or someone special in your life. Please visit my etsy site to view some of my work or stop by my blog, This Moment to say hello. Thanks so much for letting me do what I truly love.

the tiniest of celebrations are rocking my world right now

all of the family and visitors have left (john's parents were here this last week) in what feels like an endless stream of company and help these last seven weeks (so grateful). john has returned to work. things are begining to settle. and we are beginning to fall into what will be our little life - just the three of us. today was a big day with big milestones.

it was my first day alone with True for 13+ hours while john was at work. i was a nervous wreck, but last nite i made baby true lock pinkies with me and promise to go easy on me. he held up his end of the bargain, thankfully, until the the grumpy hour arrived which is almost always early evening. but we made it and boy was i TIRED but happy happy. throughout the day we walked, napped, ate, watched oprah, read, and did a ton of chatting and smiling. we even walked up to the bank to do business. with True in the the ergo carrier, i was nervous while waiting in line - wondering if he'd wake up, if he'd be fussy, if he'd poo all over the marble floor. later, i practiced my mama multi-tasking skills by walking up to the cafe while True slept on my chest (in the ergo again) while talking on the phone while buying a cup of hot tea. it was a moment. a small celebration in the line of all the mini celebrations we're having around here.


(our pinkie promise)

who knew that the tiniest things like having your baby fall asleep totally unassisted would rock your world and cause you to jump up and down in the dining room in full-on celebration and then run to the nearest computer to share the news with the world on facebook and twitter?

his reflux medication has kicked in and it's made a world of difference and life feels SO much more manageable knowing he's comfortable. i now know what a normal baby cry sounds like and it's much much more bearable than a pain cry. i can't thank you enough for all the encouraging emails about your stories and your babies who also had reflux. just what i needed. my heart is resting in these days. it feels really really good.

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we sent out a newsletter earlier this week and the response was tremendous (thank you!). the 2011 datebooks sold out but we've still got some 2011 calendars (signed by me) available. product in the online shop is going fast for holiday shopping. holy smokes. we did manage to get more laptop and iphone (3g) skins in (awesome stocking stuffers if i do say so myself!) but that's it for the year - we won't be getting anymore product in before christmas. i can't thank you guys enough for all the support. i love having the online shop. i really do.

i've got a big painting deadline for december. look for new paintings in the coming weeks - can't wait to show you.

jen gray guest post

as i continue maternity leave, i've asked a few friends to guest post for me from time to time. today, we've got jen gray - a woman who i have admired for years and who i am so lucky to count as a friend. she was born with creativity oozing out of her spirit and i'm so drawn to everything about her - from the way she dresses to the way she so tenderly nurtures and comforts all who are in her life. and did you know that she loves a good ol' fashion can of spaghettios (just like me)? i just adore her....

i asked about her thoughts on taking flight - her post is below. i love how she reminds us that taking flight doesn't have to be some big grand gesture, and how she says "there is nothing mundane about you adding more love to the world."pretty awesome.

For many years , I attached the idea of "taking flight" as something that
had to be really big, or really radical, or really gutsy. I think this
perception was my attempt of proving to myself and others that I was
strong, brave, creative and capable....that somehow, I was something
'more' for the adventurous things I had taken on.

And while all those big risks I took definitely launched me further along
in my life's journey, I am now at a place in my life where I don't desire
the intensity I thought was necessary for change or for the feeling of
being okay about myself.

Tending to my creative life is now happening with a very different
mindset. Today, it is more about learning to hear and give space to the
longings of my soul. And once I know these things, it is my job to deliver
the goods. Often it is as simple or as easy as a walk in the woods ~ and I
benefit fully for honoring a request like that.



Other times it is in choosing to do something that allows my mind to be at
ease..
Reading Hafiz curled up on the back porch instead of obsessing over a
negative encounter.

I am learning that practicing non-judgement is just as huge, if not more,
than some of my crazy and wild adventures. And making an effort to change
an old behavior that no longer serves me has required more creativity than
I ever imagined!

For me,taking flight is about clearing the path. It's about
movement towards soul, in whatever tiny or big way that fits. It is in
allowing myself the freedom to explore, heal, enjoy, wonder, and love.



I encourage you to recognize how you take flight each and every day
in the seemingly ordinary ways. There is nothing mundane about you adding
more love to the world. There is nothing more creative than giving time to
hear the whispers of your spirit. I believe taking the smallest steps to
align yourself with your graceful heart proves you have the mighty wings
of a wandering albatross.

*Thank you Kelly Rae for showing me how taking flight can happen in so
many beautiful ways.*

the power of our stories and gratitude to you

i have been blown away by the kindness of strangers these last many weeks. it seems that each time i go to my po box or my email inbox there is a message of hope, a sweet letter of thanks or celebration, a handmade gift made especially for baby true or me. i can hardly believe all the generosity. it's incredibly soothing and comforting during what feels like the most confusing time of my life - a time when extreme challenges are met with extreme love and joy.

many of these dear people took my ecourse, or read this blog, or many of them were given one of my products as a gift and write to me to tell me how the gift and the message made an impact on their lives. i'm reminded of the idea that you never know who you reach. you never know the impact your story might have. you never know when that small message of hope, a small gift, a handwritten card, or a phone call might be just the thing that helps someone cross over from lonely, to uplifted. from having a crummy day to having a better day. you just never know...it all reminds me of how art saved me and how it can be a tiny portal of healing for someone else when they receive an art girlie the speaks to them or a canvas that has special meaning to them. it's a humbling, very wide circle of healing for me and those who respond to my work. we are all connected.....



the gratitude, for me, is also in the stories. last week baby true received the most adorable handmade booties + hat from a total stranger. she sent over a note explaining that she is a twenty something year old, awaiting a heart transplant, is an avid knitter, and wanted to send over a little handmade something for baby true. she said she reads this blog from time to time, and that her mama had gifted her the art girlie pictured above - the one called "listen to your life." she spoke about how full her life is, how she is so grateful to the doctors and nurses and to her family who all are helping her. she told me how her heart condition has helped her see what really matters in life, how she lives in the moment, how she never hesitates to tell her friends and family how deeply she cares for them. she doesn't know when or if she'll receive a heart - she's already had three open heart surgeries to give her more time.

i was so touched by her story and am sending eons of well wishes her way as she navigates her journey. sometimes i get so focused on my own life, my own struggles, my own busy schedule, that i forget that there are dear souls out there fighting for their lives. and for one of those dear souls to take some time out of her life to send a bit of handmade kindness for true, well, i was blown away. we are all in this together - the circle of healing. my story and art touched her, gave her some hope. but really it's her story and art that touched me and gave me the hope i've needed to see, to be awakened to.

that's the power of art, of telling our stories, of connecting (even with a stranger), of kindness. thank you to those of you who have so sweetly sent over your emails, your cards, your gifts. i'm inspired to pay it forward. i really am.

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(loving this store display of our products though i don't know the name of this store or where its located. sorry about that!)

i wanted to say that we are in full on holiday mode over here. dani is shipping and packaging her little heart out. the other day i asked her how it's going. i wondered if she (like me) sometimes dreaded the days that she is packaging and shipping and printing labels and going to the post office (as much as i love my creative biz, this part of the process isn't the most fun, i'll admit). anyway, this is what she said: "absolutely not! i love packaging up messages of hope and sending them out into the world!" so there you have it. i am not kidding, dani is lovingly sending out cheer with each order. it was a new perspective to the shipping/packaging process for me and i won't ever forget it! thank you, dani!

ps: shipping on all orders is $5 no matter how much you spend!

Weekly Sponsor Spotlights: Contemporary Cloth, Sublime, Charlene Proctor, Material Good + Sandi Volpe Designs

Big thanks to my sponsors...I'm really enjoying these weekly sponsor spotlights where their creative talents and businesses are featured. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor (includes your ad on the sidebar + ongoing spotlights), please send me an email for further information! I am currently taking reservations for the month of December in this Holiday Season!
*******************************************************************************************************Contemporary Cloth has an exciting collection of modern, vintage, hand dyed and organic fabrics, patterns, fabric stencils and sale books/magazines. Els van Baarle of the Netherlands sends us her hand dyed/batiked papers/fabrics and vintage papers in several languages. See our holiday fabrics for your handmade projects!
Mention - "KellyRae" - in the coupon code for 20% off your order (10-15% off fiberartists). You can also find us on twitter, facebook, and our blog!
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I am Kaye-Lee Pantony artist and psychotherapist. I have created the e-course Sublime which is an online course with a focus on helping us remember and integrate a very powerful part of ourselves - our inner adolescent girl. We use photography, collage, mixed media and journaling to draw forth this potent self. Remembered and integrated this girl within provides us with limitless growth and possibilities, as well as the potential to become unapologetically ourselves.
The Fall Sublime class has just begun so there is still time to join us. If you join as a late comer, you will receive $50 dollars off our fall session! Alternatively, we will run the class again in January 2011 with registration in early December. Hope to see you on one of our creative journeys!
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Want to experience more freedom and joy in your life? Rev. Dr. Charlene Proctor helps you rediscover your connection to Divine Spirit. Making positive change at the level of consciousness begins with a re-imagination of your own divinity and feeling one with humanity. A deeksha and oneness blessing giver, she authors books on oneness, spiritual awakenings, empowerment, and positive thinking and helps people learn to embrace life in the present moment. Blog with her on a variety of spiritual topics! And read about her newest title called The Oneness Gospel coming in 2011!

From January 8 - 14th, 2011, travel to the Mayan Riviera for a week of blessings, meditation, mala-making, sacred sites, yoga, and oneness teachings. She shares your interest in freebies and encourages you to join her online community to receive all kinds of lovely goodies which will always be in your inbox at the perfect time!
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Seattle-based Material Good's Little Shirley vases provide not only a perfect pop of color, but also a way for people to give back to their community just by purchasing one of the cute little vessels: A portion of proceeds currently goes toward organizations working to cure cancer and provide patient support. Little Shirleys are available in fifteen eye-catching shades on the Material Good website. Follow the vase-making process on Twitter, and "Like" Material Good on Facebook!
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Sandi Volpe is the mother of 3 energetic boys and a jewelry artist. Sandi has always enjoyed creating things with her hands. Growing up she would re-string her mother's pieces and make matching earrings using her father's tools. Today many of the tools she works with forming metal are from her Dad's workshop.
Sandi's work is influenced by her childhood spent learning many crafts from grandparents and aunts as well as growing up at "the shore" on New Jersey's Atlantic coast. Her unique line of jewelry comes from her desire to create beautiful and often multi-functional pieces. Learn more about Sandi and her jewelry by visiting her blog and etsy shop.

colic solved.

iphone shot showing hula's print framed by our front door - it reads, "love always wins."

my heart feels like it's on extreme overload over here. it's processing so many morsels of joy and healing and lessons and strength and sometimes it feels like i'm shattered into a million pieces as i try and make sure i'm aware and taking it all in and remembering and writing it down and letting it go and not letting it go. emotionally, i'm exhausted - even with major efforts to take good care of myself.

all i can muster up for a mantra is love always wins. or nothing is wasted. or nothing is permanent. or brave in sadness, brave in love.

it's been very very rough these last couple of weeks. i won't lie. baby true has been suffering from infant acid reflux and it's been a whammy to our little family. i've never felt desperation like this. my heart drops every single time he cries with discomfort, i can barely take it. there is no protection around my emotions, around my heart. his birth and simply being a new mama already had me feeling open in ways that made everything feel intense, but add in his pain and i'm a total mess. the protectiveness feels intense. the desperation to get him comfortable feels intense. the questioning of my instincts (when everything feels new) feels intense. the holding onto hope that this or that will help him (when most of it has not helped) has left us all feeling a little hope exhausted.



now that we are almost through the fire of this particular struggle, i've learned the invaluable lesson of claiming my mama instincts even when i'm up against what feels like the world telling me i'm wrong or that "all babies cry - it's what they do." i won't ever knowingly make that mistake again. because i'm feeling passionate about this issue, i want to put our experience out there in hopes that it will help anyone who has a baby that has been labeled "colic" - a term i've come to seriously resent.

baby true was struggling with major sleep disturbances (only sleeping for an hour before waking up crying/screaming - day and night), major eating disturbances (taking well over an hour to feed, pulling from the nipple, crying during feeds), extremely uncomfortable with lots of crying and arching, coughing, constant hiccups, couldn't sleep on his back, etc etc - all 24/7, starting at week 3 and getting worse and worse over the last couple of weeks. looking back and knowing what i know now, i believe some of this started from day one but week three seemed to be when it started to escalate.

because he wasn't vomiting/spitting up a lot and losing weight, we were told it wasn't reflux but rather he was just gassy or colicky and that we would have to wait it out a couple of months until his digestion system matured. this is the part that brought me to my knees. who wants to "wait out" their newborn's pain? i have never known so much heartbreak as to watch baby true cry and suffer, sometimes for hours despite major efforts to soothe. with each day getting worse than the day before, i was in a full panic over how we were going to make it emotionally and physically. even with all the support and resources in the world, we were not getting any sleep and pretty much tending to an uncomfortable baby true around the clock with little break - totally exhausting both on our hearts and our physical selves, not to mention poor true. because i didn't know much about reflux, i fully believed our doctors when they said he was gassy and colicky. i did a ton of research on "colic" and gassy babies and tried everything suggested: gas drops, positioning, swings, etc etc. at each turn and at each suggestion, i felt major hope and then a major fall when nothing worked.



in the meantime, we had read dr. sears, and the happiest baby on the block (both highly recommended). baby true is definitely a fourth trimester baby and responds to all the soothing efforts described in the happy baby book - but only if he's not in pain. this is where being new parents and not having the experience really confused us. we couldn't figure out what the heck was going on. we just knew that something wasn't right, though we weren't entirely sure. we were certainly wondering if all babies slept so little and cried so much. and let me just say that we decided from day one to respond immediately to his cries. we aren't letting him cry it out, but even with all efforts, he would have major crying spells. we knew something must be wrong.

finally, i shared the truth of our last few weeks to some dear friends. totally spilled my heart out and confessed that this has been HARD - not just processing a traumatic birth, not just hormones, not just breastfeeding drama, not just normal newborn transition, but seriously physically and emotionally hard with a very very upset baby 24/7 (minus a day or two here and there). i explained the gassy/colic diagnosis, that we were told to wait it out, that yes it would be totally exhausting and heartbreaking but that we would get through it. i asked for prayers and comfort.



one of those friends overnighted a book to us called Colic Solved - written by a lead colic researcher in texas. it arrived one morning while true was crying and i was doing my best to soothe him. i read the book in one hour flat while walking up and down the stairs with baby true in a sling (one of the only ways we have been able to comfort him). in short, this book saved our asses and little baby true's suffering. the book describes our baby perfectly and opened our eyes to the fact that it's not gas or colic, but is in fact infant reflux - a medical condition that explains all of his symptoms and if it goes untreated can lead to all sorts of oral and sleep aversions later in life (because who wants to sleep and eat if it's painful?). my heart felt stronger with each page read - finally, i was getting confirmation and some answers. i couldn't believe what i was reading and i was getting seriously fired up and pissed at the docs that told us our baby was simply colicky and to let him sit with the pain for three months. why had they not pushed the examination and questioning further? why had they not asked specifics about his eating and sleeping habits that would have revealed more to the story - afterall, we're new parents that didn't know his behavior was abnormal - we rely on the MDs to make those calls.



needless to say we went back to the doctors office armed with detailed information about infant reflux, a list of his symptoms (in detail this time), a million questions (the book told us specifically what to ask of our doctors), and an insistence to try treatment vs waiting it out - we were confident that the gas/colic was a symptom of the underlying condition of reflux and that the reflux needed to be treated. all that tenderness that i've been feeling for weeks. all the uncertainty. all the emotions. it all just welled up into a determination and an anger i hadn't yet felt before inside this new mama experience. we've been to the doctor a lot to see lactation consultants, doctors, etc etc and with each visit i'm usually bawling my eyes out in the exam room, but this visit was different. i found my mama bear and power (thanks to education) and walked out of there feeling like the most confident new mama on the block. my instincts were right and i finally knew it. i will say that later that night i bawled my eyes out from the sheer exhaustion and assurance that we finally found our answer. there is so much to learn in this journey, so much emotion, but i'm feeling stronger and stronger, tears and all.

all of this is to say that we started treatment that night and although he's not entirely better, we are finally on the right track. finally. we're told he'll eventually grow out of it. i can sense and see his improvement and i can barely wait until the medication fully kicks in and he's comfortable. once he's comfortable, i think i can finally begin to loosen up, to not be on such high alert as i've been from the beginning, and to begin to celebrate a bit more with baby true. there has been no pain like this in my life - to be so in love with this little dear soul and then to see him suffering.

it's been breaking my heart for nearly six weeks.


but even so, even with all the hard of these last many weeks, i wouldn't take it back. as i've learned from jen, nothing is wasted. i know all the efforts of these last many weeks to fiercely tend and soothe and find answers will serve us as we move along in our story. i've also learned my own capacity for nurturing and loving a little soul who is new in the world. i now know that my heart can securely hold his heart and tend to it, nurture it, and love it just as his has been holding mine this whole time. we're in it together. brave in sadness, brave in love.

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ps: a small and gentle request: i know there will be a lot of response to this post. i know it because there are many many many babies (and families) suffering from reflux. it's why i'm sharing this story - in hopes that it might help and encourage anyone with a similar story. my only request is that you only send emails and messages of hope and success. my heart simply cannot take stories with poor outcomes right now. thank you :)